Ship-propelling apparatus.



N iii i 1 2:

P. N. HICKS.

SHIP PROPELLING APPARATUS. APPLxcATIoN msn xuLv 2|. w16.

Pai'imted Sept. 4, 1917.

[o au whom it ,may concern.'

Be it known that I, PRESLEY N. HICKS a citizen of the United States, residing at t. Louis1 State of Missouri, have invented cer tain newand useful Improvements in Ship- PropellingrfApparatus, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference 'being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof.

My inventionnhas lrelation to improvements in ship-propelling apparatus; and it consistsin thenovel features of construction more -fully set forth in the specificationand pointed out' i'n the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ship with the near side partly broken away, -sho'wing niy propelling apparatus'in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a top plan with flooring partly removed; and Figi 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional detail on the line of Fig. 2. y

The'present improvement is an improvement ony the 'ship-propelling apparatus forming the subject-matter of U. S. Letters Patentl numbered 665,7 85v issued to me under date of January 8, 1901 g and while contemplating the several objectsV and possessing the various advantages of the patented construction, the improvement herein dispenses with the reciprocating types of engines and indentitied with the plunger cylinders former construction, there belng employed in lieu thereof suitable internal screw prog5 disks han@ connecting rods pellers under constant rotation in their cyllnders whereby a uniform speed may be imparted to the ship. Among the objects sought may be mentioned 1) the locating of the screws where they will be free from all obstructions, thereby protecting the same from ice, drifts, floatingl objects and the 4like; (2) the economizing of room; (3) the reduction in Weight of machinery; (4) gain in efficiency over the patented propelling apparatus; (5) ready control over the actuating parts, and (6) to provide further and other features of construction, the advantages of which will be readily apparent from a detailed description of the invention which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, S represents ,a ship of any type whatsoever. i Located centrally thereof are suitable gas or equivalent enginosE, E, which through suitable crank- 2, impart rotation to tliosdrive or crank-shaft 3 disposedv Specification of Letters Patent.

SHIP-raornLLING APPARATUS.

Patented sept. 4, 1917.

.. 'Application led J' uly 21, 1916. Serial No. 1103,5:zv

longitudinally and preferably on the center line of the keel of the ship. each end of the crank-shaft 3 and in aline- `ment therewith, are propeller shafts 4,` Ll, the

inner ends whereof are ing clutch members 5, the complementary clutch members V6, 6, on the shaft 3, the said sliding members provided with slid isposed at 5, cooperating with y being controlled by clutch-levers 7 aswell understood in the art. Each shaft 4 traverses a vcylinder' C preferably composed of` two sections, the inner section having leading therefrom a feed branch or pipe 8 `opening through the side of the ship below the being provided with water line, said branch of the gate variety.

a sea Jalve V preferably The branches 8', 8, are disposed in paralleliemand` at an incline axis ofthe ship, the ship (Fig. 2) the directionofinclinaverse axis of the ship.

Passed over and secured to each shaft 4 in the outer section of each cylinder C, is a screw 9 of. the double-twist auger-type, the outer end of the shaft beyond the screw` being supported in a central bearing of a pider 10 `secured to or cast with `thecvlinouter end of each cylinder C is anextensioni C (of which there may be one or more) to which is in turn bolted the Y-shaped pipe 11, the branches or legs of which are disposed on opposite .sides of the longitudinal central vertical plane of the ship, and which discharge below the water line through the sides of the ship-` Each leg is provided with a sea-valve V the stem of-which may be provided with a bevel pinion 12 meshin with a similar pinion 13 at the outer end of a controlling rod 14 actuated by a handwheel w within easyreach of the operator. The operation will be readily apparent from the foregoing description and is 'substantially as follows: The engines or motors E being started, rotation is imparted to the tcrank shaft 3, after which by the proper manipulation of the clutch levers 7, 'either shaft 4 may be coupled to said crank-shaft. This in turn imparts rotation to the screw 9, the latter drawing in the water through the side branch or leg 8 (the valve V whereof is open) and forcing it out through one or both of the branches of the Y pipe 11. B way of example we Bolted or otherwise secured `to the fs tothe longitudinal and on opposite sides 'of sav esi

may assume (Fig. 2 110 75 tion of the vbranches being toward the transy that the rear (or right-hand) shaft 4 and its screw 9 are rotating, the current being driven out of the legs of the rear Y p'JJe 11. If the valves V of both'legs of the pi are open to the same de ree so that t e streams discharged from t e le s are equal in volume and intensity, the s ip will be propelled in a straight or direct line; but

should one of the valves be wholly or par.

10 tiiilly closed, the ship in its forward movement will likewise be swun to one side in 'response to the more ower ul jet oi' stream issuing from one of t e legs of the` Y ipe. It follows therefore that the steering o? the i5 ship `may be brought about bl eV proper manipulation of the valves of t e terminal Y pipes. To drive the ship backward, the reaiscrew-shaft 4 is disengafgedlfroin the crankshaft and the front sha t 4 is* coupled thereto, as must be obvious from the drawings, the direction of rotation of the crankshaft being in nowise disturbed, ande dse trevr'sedbythe screw-sheftgscreyvs versal of the engines being unneoessiiy. fvThe screw 9 being confined in a c" luider z5 does not dissipate its power as is the esse o an exposed screw; and being protected from Heating objects, drift-wood and the like, can not have its motion interfered with in any way, and thus tends toward maximum eiliciency. In particulars not herein alluded to, the present im rovement is not unlike the patented prope ler aforesaid, the propulsion of the -ship being brought about `by e.

column or stream of water impinging against l5 the mass of the water on which the ship Hosts. .p

lThe several mechanical are herein Shown more or less conventioii'lly, as so liar as my invention is co rned not 're- 40 stricted to the use of particule."-A` Q e of motor, screw, valves or other J h t* shown, it 'being within theJ v, skilled mechemc to `e nechenicsl devices known the shaped termin Having described my invention, what I 4l clslimAuh' t y ip-pro n .uppers us compne ing, in combine ion vgvith e' ship, s driveshaft disposed lon tudinslly o the ship, screw-shafts begon eqch end thereof adeptt0 ed to be indivi nelly coupled thereto, cylinders traversed b seid screw-shafts, valve controlled feed ranches leedin 'from the cylinders through the sides of-t e ship and disposed on op osite sides of the ship, Y- M5 a leadin fromV the cylinders and dischargin throug i theA walls of the ship on each si e of the longitudinal central hgeof the ship, valves for the branches of V said -shaped terminals, and ineens 'i' tor 00 controlling said valves.

2, lneombination'in," a, and loi'igitudinelly'r "i v "'ft, serew-shafts alined therewith at opposite ends thereof, means for coupling the 66 tive screw-shafts to the drivelshsft, cy inl the screw-shaftoperst 1 Y. cylindrs'valvecontrolled, arslle E ,ranches leading from the egim erthrougl: e sides 7 of the ship, said branches being` elined to the longitudinal axis of the ship and pointing toward the drive-shaft, and disposed on opposite sides of the ship, Y-slii.

0 J pedterminsl dischare pipes leading fronifthe cylinders et points eyond the screws, itllebrenches of said terminals Vdischarging n column of wei-` ter on either side of the' 1on"tudinal axis ofthe ship, velves for said ranches, and means for controlling the valves from points 30 adjacent the drive-shaft. y

In testimon whereof I six my signature, in presence o t'wo witnesses.

PRESLEY N. HICKS.

Witnesses:

Em S'rnmx, Jos. A. 

